Sara's War
by kiyone4ever
Summary: The summoning of USS Saratoga didn't quite go as planned. Now the USN denies that it has a kanmusu program. Now Saratoga is heading for Japan. This might not be a good plan...
1. The Forgotten Warrior

**I first started this story over on the SV board. I've decided to bring it to a wider audience. This fic is** _ **loosely**_ **based on 'Greatest Generation' in that the settings of the two stories would LOOK outwardly the same as Sara's War begins. IE: Swanson as Enterprise... Her mission... Her friends... Dakota et al... HOWEVER, they will play only guest appearances in this story and the events and/or conclusions of Sara's War will not coincide with the events, conclusions, or logic of GG.** **Also to readers of my other stories here on , I am not abandoning anything. I Love these stories and will return to them as soon as I feel the material is worth the story

With that said, I present Sara's War. Enjoy.

**

 **Sara's War, Part 1: The Forgotten Warrior.**  
 _  
I shouldn't be here._ The tall blonde woman thought as she approached the gates of Yokosuka. _It should be someone else. Anyone else._ She thought with melancholy. _It should be my sister._ She thought to her dear sister. Everyone had loved her. Her loss had been tragic and mourned. She had been destined to do so much and had been lost over a foolish mistake. Though cut down early in the war, her sister had been there when it counted. She had held the line. Lady Lex, Queen of the flattops.

 _Not so much her screw up twin sister_ , Saratoga _... First that clusterfuck at Wake Island... She had been so close! Even if they couldn't have hoped to hold Wake, at least they could evacuate the Marines and the civilian workers trapped on the island. Almost there! And then the recall order had come. Two Japanese carriers had hit the island. Admiral Pye refused to risk one of his carriers over an island already lost._

 _And so Saratoga had been ordered to turn her back on those marines and civilians and run away to save herself._

 _Then had been the torpedoing two weeks later. Stupid! Four months laid up in a body and fender shop. Word of Coral Sea, where Lex had gone down. Yorktown had been hit but she'd been patched up quickly. Something big was in the works! Saratoga rushing out to Pearl Harbor, anxious, eager to get into the fight!_

 _Only to find the battle over and Yorktown gone down like a hero from a Greek legend. Sent out with her wounds and then hit again and again and yet again until she finally succumbed, not to a single mighty foe, but from the cumulative hurts all of her enemies could throw at her. There had been a plan to head North and go after the carriers that had struck Dutch Harbor, but after losing Yorktown, it was decided that Saratoga was just not ready. Recalled again._

 _Some success at Eastern Solomons but then another torpedo and Saratoga would was back for more repairs. She would miss the Battle of Santa Cruz. Hornet had died hard in that battle._

 _There were no great carrier clashes in 1943 and by early 1944, younger, tougher carriers had arrived. Four of them named after her lost comrades of 1942, others with names like Essex, Franklin, Bunker Hill... what did the Navy need with an old thing like her? Training duty and refits meant she would miss the last great carrier battle of the war and then the last and greatest sea fight of all at Leyte Gulf. Finally she was put back on the line at Iwo Jima. And promptly knocked on her ass by a kamikaze. Back to the yard where she would be permanently outfitted for training duty even as the rest of the fleet faced the firestorm off Okinawa._

 _And then the war ended. Too old and obsolete and simply labeled surplus, Saratoga was chosen to die under the 'friendly' fire of the atomic bomb. She had seen the cartoons the Japanese had been putting out, showing Nagato facing death with dignity while she cried like a coward..._

 _Even her return had been FUBAR! The navy so hard up that it called for her to come back. Admirals in their gold braid waiting as the drums beat and nothing happened..._

 _It was three in the morning when the Ship girl Saratoga stumbled her way back into the world of the living. The dignitaries had all long since gone home, perhaps wondering just what had gone wrong. Late again. The only person in sight was a lone sentry who probably thought she was drunk. Hardly the entrance befitting a US Navy warship. Another screw up. She couldn't exactly get an appointment with CinCPac and say 'Oops! Sorry I'm late!'_

 ** _~BULLSHIT!~_**

Saratoga froze at the sound of the annoyed voice in her head. _~Captain! I mean Admiral! Uh sir!~_

 _ **~Stow it Sara! Call me Bill. Anyway, what's this nonsense you're carrying on about?~**_ The boss's voice was filled with fire.

 _~Sir. I...~_ She began.

 _ **~You've always been one of the luckiest and best damned ships in the fleet! Right from the start! That treaty killed over thirty ships right on the ways or even still on the drawing board! And how many others scrapped! But they fought for you and you and Lexington survived. On your decks. That's where we learned our trade. Langley taught us we could fly. You and Lex showed us what we could do with those wings. You showed us what COULD be done even if we weren't all listening. Pearl? You did it long before the Japanese. Not your fault we didn't get the message.**_

 _ **And Wake? Don't ever blame yourself for that. Because they were right. You weren't ready to tangle with two Jap carriers. Not with what you had and not without effective backup. I know you would have fought hard, but losing you wouldn't have saved Wake. And yeah. Damned right you took your knocks but you always got back up! And you weren't the only one who missed Midway!. Laid up in the hospital for a damned skin disease! But it's the way the breaks go sometime. It was mostly your birds Yorktown carried out there anyway. Yes we lost good men and good ships. That happens in war. You can't keep it from happening. You do the best you can and go on because you have got no choice.**_

 _ **And what about that raid on Rabaul? The Japanese had SEVEN heavy cruisers massing in one of the best protected harbors in the Pacific and they were going to blow the holy hell out of the Bouganville landings and once they got out of Rabaul, I had no chance in Hell of stopping them! What I had was You and Princeton and Princeton only had half of your strike power. It was risky as Hell but I had no choice and by God! You came through! A raid against one of the most heavily defended harbors in the Pacific. Pulling off Pearl Harbor was child's play to what you did! And you did it! Four heavies damaged and the Japs pulled all seven. You saved thousands of lives.~**_

 _~Sir... That was just...~_

 ** _~Part of the job? Maybe, but if that's true then you had better realize that the bad news also comes with the territory. You have an enemy that wants to win just as much as you do._**

 _ **The world needs you Sara. But you know that. Hell! Here you are, without your rigging or anything and you managed to sneak all the way to Japan to get into the fight. So you go in there and you don't take any shit off anyone and if you ever need a spare pilot, Remember I had to get my wings before they'd let me take out the grandest lady in the fleet!~**_

 _~Yes sir! Thank you sir! I'll remember!~_

 ** _~You do that. Now get going!~_** The Admiral ordered before heading back into the beyond from which they had both come.

Saratoga at last smiled to herself. It wasn't as if they could do anything to her she hadn't gone through before.

***

"Commander Yarnell?" Sara rose from her seat as Secretary ship Nagato came out with a frown and a stern look on her face.

"Yes?"

"I am afraid there is a problem here. We cannot confirm that a Commander Sara Yarnell was dispatched here by the United States Navy in _any_ capacity. Indeed; there is no evidence any such person _exists."_

"I see." Sara smiled and looked at the battleship with a twinkle in her eye as she hauled off and punched Nagato with all the force a 45,000 ton battlecruiser turned aircraft carrier could muster, knocking the surprised Battleship to the deck. "I owed you that one." Sara grinned. "USS Saratoga, CV-3 and I'm looking for an outfit that's fighting." 


	2. On Second Thought

Sara's War, Part 2: On Second Thought...

So maybe decking the Secretary Ship of Kanmusu forces in Yokosuka hadn't been the smartest move Saratoga could have made, but at least it proved her pedigree as a shipgirl beyond question, and it _had_ been immensely satisfying. The down side was that she was now confined to the brig, awaiting the arrival of the Commander of the US 7th Fleet, an officer from the Judge Advocate General's office, and an officer from Naval Intelligence. And miracle that it was being kept in house! Meanwhile, two cruisers were keeping a constant guard. Saratoga sternly reminded herself not to make matters worse by trying to deliberately scare or intimidate them.

 _This definitely was not part of the plan._ Saratoga sighed. _What was the plan again? Oh that's right... we hadn't gotten that far yet. Today is probably going to suck!_

Saratoga was led in to an interrogation room. Seated at the table a scowling Vice Admiral looked as if he had just chewed a box of rail spikes. A Captain and a Commander were seated to the left and right respectively. Nagato stood with Mutsu and four cruisers, just waiting for Sara to do something stupid. _More stupid anyway... Stupider? Whatever._ At any rate, it was time to face the music.

"Miss Saratoga..." The Admiral fixed her sternly. "Do you have even the slightest idea how much of a headache you have caused not only myself, but CinCPac, as well as the Chief of Naval Operations, and possibly also including the Consulate, the Ambassador to Japan, the State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, the DIA, CID, The Joint Chiefs and all the way up to the President himself?"

"Sir I..."

"Leaving aside the questions of how you managed to acquire a uniform and identification and the means to travel here to Yokosuka, there is the matter of gaining unauthorized access to an allied military base and of your assaulting Secretary Ship Nagato. The simple solution would be to bury you in a hole and forget where we put the hole!"

Saratoga remained admirably stone faced at this. She had heard Bill Halsey curse up a storm and Ernest J. King go off on a diatribe that could blister hardened steel. This would not phase her in the slightest. Then surprisingly, the Commander spoke.

"Frankly, there is a much more important matter. And that is figuring how you got here since the United States Navy does not yet at this time have a ship girl program of any sort."

Saratoga could read the blatant lie for what it was. A smokescreen to the Japanese monitoring this interview, but also a warning to speak little and listen well.

"I am afraid I don't see how I could be of much help there sir." She answered facing the admiral squarely. "I don't remember much from the night I came ashore."

"I see." The commander feigned disappointment. "Our Japanese allies have had extensive experience with these summonings. I wonder if it is possible if the... 'spirit' of a ship, sunk in close proximity to a summoned vessel could find its way back accidentally." The Commander looked over at Nagato for a moment's glance. "It's the only theory we have right now."

"But..." The Admiral resumed. "Regardless of theories, we still have to figure out just what the hell to do with you. You have two choices: Choice one is we fly you back stateside and you spend the war in a research lab or filing paperwork or we assign you to a combat command here."

Nagato folded her arms with a grim smile that made Saratoga painfully uneasy. _In the name of Nimitz! No one said I would have to fight two wars at once!_ Still, she had come to fight. Heaven help anyone who got in her way. 


	3. Careful What You Wish For

Sara's War, Part 3: Careful What You Wish For.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

Secretary Ship Nagato stood imperiously in front of Saratoga. Sara got the distinct impression the battlewagon was taking great pains to enjoy this.

"We obviously cannot send a Kanmusu into combat who cannot even communicate with her teammates, let alone function effectively with that team. Therefore you will be tutored in Japanese by Kongo. You will also take classes with the Unryu sisters and Shinano."

 _Great. Those girls have never so much as launched a single aircraft! I was pioneering carrier tactics! Hell! Big E and I were the first carriers equipped to handle nighttime operations! Me and four girls who probably don't know which end to launch their planes from. Swell._

Nagato continued. "Surprisingly We picked up an unexpected bonus there. Kasagi was summoned. I expect you and the others will do your utmost to help her."

"Yes ma'am."

"Very good. Naturally you will room with your classmates and take meals with them. This means; of course, that you will need to be accustomed to a Japanese diet, not an American one."

 _I wonder if they expect me to shit Japanese style?_ Saratoga wondered with a touch of bitterness. "Permission to speak freely ma'am?"

Nagato quirked her head. "Denied. Miss Saratoga, you may believe that I harbor some special ill will towards you. That opinion would be incorrect. What I have is a responsibility to my fleet and my Admiral. You are an untested element in that fleet. It is my duty to make certain that every Kanmusu can operate effectively in whatever operation that we may be assigned.

"Furthermore, there WILL be Kanmusu who DO resent you very much. Imagine how bad that would become if I granted you special consideration. I am providing you the opportunity to prove yourself fairly to the Kanmusu of this fleet. I suggest you make the most of it. Now. Sakawa will show you to your quarters. Dismissed."

Saratoga saluted, turned on her heel and left, following the eager young cruiser.

In Nagato's office, her sister Mutsu sighed.

"I'm not sure I see the point in putting up with this American. The fleet will never accept her."

"They might." Nagato smiled wryly. "I actually have high hopes for our American friend. She is one of the most experienced carriers we could hope to get aside from Division 1 or perhaps Division 5. While she is proving herself, she will also be able to share that experience with five completely untried carriers without us having to pull a carrier off the line. "

"I see." Mutsu nodded thoughtfully.

"Let us hope she does also." 


	4. Roommates

Sara's War, Part 4: Roommates

Saratoga followed Sakawa down the halls silently. Her pride stinging from Nagato's rebuke. What was worse was that everything Nagato had said was true! Of course it must be added that _Saratoga_ walked in silence, her companion and guide was a chattering away at some length. Not that Saratoga could understand it. Still Sakawa seemed a pleasant girl.

Presently, Sakawa came to a door with several characters of Kanji followed by the number '3'. She bowed with a polite smile and gestured to the door.

 _I'm guessing this is carrier division 3? Is this even the right room? Dammit! I'm all set to take on the world and right now I couldn't find the head without a guide!_ Saratoga bowed politely to Sakawa in kind and smiled and opened the door... and promptly smacked her head on the door frame.

"Ow!"

Sakawa looked at her in concern as Saratoga rubbed her head. Sara smiled reassuringly and bowed once more before ducking through the doorway. Inside, she was greeted by four young girls of identical height and one girl only a touch shorter than she but whereas Sara was a little on the lanky side, as betrayed her battlecruiser origins, this young lady was less so. The eyeglasses gave her the illusion of being a delicate flower. This; she knew, was Shinano.

The Raven haired Unryu sister was holding a work book up and pointing out something to the Red haired sister. Another one, with platinum blonde, nearly white hair, was polishing what appeared to be a hand made battle staff very intently. She paused and looked up as Saratoga entered.

"Ah! Hello! You must be the new girl! I am Unryu! First of the Unryu class improved carriers! I don't recognize your class. Are you A G-15?"

 _Uh, sorry... Can't understand a thing you just said._ Saratoga blinked and shrugged helplessly. The brunette looked up from the table, where she was painting a model of a Tenzan type torpedo bomber. She noticed the irritation on her sister's face as Saratoga didn't reply.

"Unryu, she can't understand you. She's an American. You have to speak English." The brunette smiled at Saratoga. "You must be the American Secretary Nagato told us about! It is all right. We speak English... some better than others." She added. "I am Amagi. That is Unryu. In the red hair is Kasagi, and the raven haired girl is our sister Katsuragi! And the one buried under the pile of books over there is Shinano!"

"I'm Saratoga. First of the Lexington class carriers."

"We didn't know the Americans had any Kanmusu yet!" Unryu exclaimed.

"Just me, so far as I know. And that was an accident. I really don't understand it."

"Where is your bow?" Unryu wanted to know. "Or do you use something else like my staff?"

"Sorry. Don't have one. No bow. No staff. Nothing but the clothes on my back."

"That's okay!" Katsuragi called over. "We'll get passes and we'll go shopping tomorrow!"

"So you're Saratoga?" Unryu sized her up. "I'll bet you have some stories hmm?"

"A few." Sara nodded.

Unryu beamed eagerly. "Well you're part of Dai-san Kido Butai now! So we'll help you with your Japanese and you can tell us some of your stories! Deal?"

Saratoga grinned. _So it's Sister Sara! This might not be too bad after all!_ "Deal! The first story is about the time Princeton and I took on a suicide mission at Rabaul and lived to tell the tale..." 


	5. On The Town

Sara's War, Part 5: On The Town

Saratoga found herself adapting well to her place in Dai-san Kido Butai. Much better than she had expected at first. In part; she supposed, it was because her teammates had not had much war memory. Unryu and Shinano were understandably afraid of submarines, Amagi was worried about being mob attacked, but Katsuragi had never been sunk and of course Kasagi had never seen war at all. Nor had any of them deployed to actual battle. These girls had never in any form offered any harm to her or her friends or the country or cause she served.

As promised, Amagi and Katsuragi had gone and secured passes for the next day and had checked out a van from the motorpool. Amagi drove, saying that Kasagi could not be expected to drive, having never navigated anywhere, Saratoga she was afraid would drive on the wrong side of the street, and to Unryu, Amagi had said in no uncertain terms that she would not trust anyone else to drive the vehicle for which she; Amagi, had signed and taken responsibility for. The girls had treated their 'Sara Maru' to a couple changes of clothes and a fine new kimono. They all shopped for music and books, Saratoga picking out a copy of Potter's biography on Nimitz.

Then they had MacDonald's for lunch in honor of their newest member. Surprisingly, Saratoga found the hamburgers a bit disappointing, lacking in substance, but she appreciated the gesture. Shinano had demolished a tray of them and Kasagi was definitely intrigued by this new food. Saratoga was a bit worried about the two of them eating too many 'empty calories' but she supposed it was little different than tanking up on that unrefined Dutch East Indies Crude that they had been forced to settle for in the last year of the old war. A happy thought which reminded her to check for the locations of all nearby rest rooms and a reminder to buy some air freshener for their room. _Over 70 years and I'm still worrying about gas explosions..._ Also; while the Coca Cola was passable, the coffee was pathetically weak. Watchstander coffee was the only 'real' coffee in her opinion, not this 'cappuccino' or latte or this miserable watered down coffee swill. Sara commenting to the others that 'real' coffee needed to either float an iron wedge or eat through a 2x4. Preferably both.

A bit more browsing. It turned out that the others were fans of something called 'cosplay', which seemed to relate to something called 'anime' Saratoga only knew it wasn't the Brooklyn Dodgers. _The Dodgers and the Giants in California? What is the world coming to? Wait... You're the living embodiment of an old warship. Do you seriously want to pursue that question?_

Then back to the base and dinner at Hosho's cafe. Hosho was a name Sara knew. The first carrier purpose built from the keel up. A true pioneer and a survivor. She reminded Sara just a bit of old Langley. Shrimp stirfry for dinner went down better than the hamburgers. Then it was back to their quarters. Early to bed before the start of classes the next day...

0800 hours Monday, the six carriers of Dai-san Kido Butai sat awaiting their instructor. A small black haired woman entered the room and walked up to the lectern.

"My name is Ryuho and I will be your instructor. Welcome to carrier combat 101..."


	6. Classes Begin

Sara's War, Part 6: Classes Begin

Ryuho smiled confidently as she looked over her students. Her eyes lingering for a moment on Saratoga. Mentally she suppressed amusement. The arrival of the lone American Kanmusu had caused some controversy among the senior members of the fleet, particularly the veteran carriers of 1st and 2nd Strike Fleets. To Ryuho, it had been an opportunity.

"The six of you will be the heart of 3rd Strike Fleet. You will learn to coordinate. You will know each other as well as you know yourselves. But you each will be assigned a partner. Your Division mate. The two of you will react as one. As these assignments are based on convenience and are subject to change as I see fit, you will receive a letter to designate your specific division instead of a number. Division A will be Amagi and Kasagi. Division B will be Unryu and Katsuragi. And Division C will be Saratoga and Shinano. For now, Amagi will be senior ship."

The students turned to their respective partners. Then Saratoga caught the mischievous gleam in the eye of Ryuho as she also caught Ryuho's little joke.

 _Two sets of twins along with a would be battlecruiser and battleship. I'm sure we'll be well tested to measure up to Ryuho's boasting._

"Saratoga?" Ryuho said looking her sternly in the eyes as she opened the case beside her desk.

"Yes ma'am?"

"I understand that you... as yet... have no weapon."

"That is correct ma'am."

Ryuho lifted a hand wrought and well polished bow from its case. "You will use my bow until your permanent weapon is assigned. Damage it and I will damage you. Am I understood?"

Saratoga bowed sharply in acceptance of the honor bestowed upon her. "Hai!"

"Very good. Now... The first part of today's training will be an endurance run. A warrior with a weak body is almost as useless as a warrior with a weak mind or spirit. We will drive that weakness out! Two lines! Division A Senior ship on the left, junior ship on the right. Division B... Senior ship on the left, junior ship on the right... Division C Senior ship on the left, junior ship on the right. Follow me!" Ryuho led them out with a grin.

Blues eyes watched fondly as Saratoga and Shinano followed the others out of the building. She watched the old veteran briefly before heading to make a phone call. There was some special kit that was just waiting to get used and now seemed like a good a time as any. 


	7. Measuring Up

**Sara's War, Part 7: Measuring Up.**

Stacks of manuals! In Japanese of course.  
'What is the rate of climb of Type 0 Carrier Fighter?'  
'What is the operational radius of a Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber?'  
'What is the fuel capacity of the Type 99 Carrier Bomber?'

"What I wouldn't give for my old SBDs." Saratoga muttered as she struggled her way through her class work.

"Nani?" Shinano asked, looking up from her own work. Saratoga recognized that 'nani' meant 'what'.

"No pilot armor?" Saratoga shook her head.

"Pilot is safe if enemy dead first." Shinano recited the traditional reasoning of Japanese combat design.

"Unless something unexpected happens." Saratoga pointed out. Her compatriot grunted a rueful agreement.

No matter what the books or the theories might say, Shinano understood her companion had that real world experience that she and the others lacked. Experience they needed. The hours of classroom training and fitness training became only the start of the training day for 'Sara Maru' and her adopting sisters. Cramming in Japanese lessons in every conceivable setting, along with Saratoga's tutoring sessions with Kongo (usually scheduled for Tea Time) were then followed by free time. But that free time was often filled with new games and exercises devised by Saratoga to determinedly teach the US Navy's doctrine of damage control to her friends.

 _"Look, sometimes no matter what you do, things can go bad and you can die. But Taiho fell to a single torpedo! One hit and a mistake! And the mighty Akagi! Killed by a single bomb hit. Things like that don't 'just happen. They are ALLOWED to happen. I won't lose any of you like that!"_

Finally came the day that Ryuho determined they were ready to head down to the firing range. She checked her clipboard with a smile and marched them down to the range... Just in time to see Dai-ichii Kido Butai approaching the range as well.

"Ladies." Ryuho greeted them courteously. "I am afraid that we have the range for the afternoon." She showed them her clipboard.

Akagi looked it over calmly while Kaga scowled. She had personally signed for the range time.

"We ought let them have it." Hiryu remarked. "Those rookies need all the training they can get."

 _Yeah... Some of us aren't specialists in hitting stationary_ targets. Saratoga so wanted to reply but she was here to fight this war, not refight the old war. Instead she looked at her classmates. "Girls, I do believe the challenge has been given."

"It seems we have a dilemma here." Ryuho remarked mildly. "How shall we resolve this?" 


	8. Team Building

**Chapter 8: Team Building.**

They were an intimidating lot to be certain. Dai-ichii Kido Butai were the acknowledged masters of carrier combat among the Japanese Kanmusu. Even the impressive Shinano seemed to flinch from the stares of the veterans. Unryu glared back at them for a moment only to back down from a hard look from Kaga.

 _Know your place._ It said.

Saratoga stared calmly back at her. Kaga's disapproving frown deepened. Saratoga mentally dropped a coin into a jar marked 'Fucks Not Given' Saratoga _might_ have to take orders from Japanese Kanmusu, and she _was_ the new arrival here, but she wasn't going to be intimidated by _this_ high and mighty lot.

And she wasn't going to let **her** girls get pushed around either. She paused to consider what sort of contest they could beat this bunch in. She knew that in a target competition or battle match, the vastly more experienced veterans of First Strike Fleet would chew her team up and spit them out. This had to be pure natural ability.

"Ryuho sensei." Saratoga turned to their teacher with respect. "I suggest a race. the six of us versus the six of them. 12 points for first place, 1 point for finishing last. That's a total of 78 points. team with the most points wins."

Ryuho considered, inwardly pleased. "That sounds reasonable. What do you say Akagi-san?"

Kaga did not wait for her partner to reply. "Of course we accept! Dai-ichii Kido Butai is prepared for any challenge!" Kaga declared looking right at Saratoga.

"Great! You name the course."

Ryuho shook her head. "If we wish this to be a fair competition, then we must let an outside party set the course. I will bring this to Secretary Nagato." She turned to her charges. "Under the circumstances ladies," she addressed her students. "You may take the rest of the day off to prepare." She bowed to First Strike Fleet and strode off to Nagato's office.

Saratoga smirked confidently, her arms folded as she stared at Kaga.

Katsuragi looked at her with uncertainty. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Trust me." 


	9. According To Plan?

**Chapter 9: According to Plan?  
**  
"A race? Did someone say a race?!" Shimakaze demanded excitedly. "I want to race! I know I'll win! So who's racing?"

"Kaga san!" Ikazuchi told her. "Inazuma and I just heard her and Ryuho talking in Nagato's office!"

The look on Shimakaze's face at this was one of pure puzzlement. "Kaga san?"

"Yes!" Ikazuchi affirmed.

"That's not a race. It's a procession..." She grumbled.

***

"That was brave of you Kaga!" Akagi praised her partner. "That you agreed to a race."

Kaga grunted. She was going to be _very_ sore after this, but the proud veteran would not turn away from the offered challenge. Best to defeat them now. "We will not lose Akagi san. The American was foolish. Dai-ichi Kido Butai will easily prevail. Shokaku, Soryu, and Hiryu will win the first three places. 33 points. Taiho will finish 7th. 6 points. You and I need only finish and we will not finish last I assure you. 45 points. Better those girls and their American friend lose a little face now. If they learn to be less impetuous then it will be for the best."

"Still, I certainly cannot believe that Ryuho agreed to this." Hiryu remarked as she and Soryu sat down across from them. "And suggested that it be turned into a public event! She must realize we will crush them!"

Soryu nodded. "We of Carrier Division 2 are the pattern upon which the Unryu's are based but we are the best! Finely honed! We will be victorious."

***

"Sara chan?" Katsuragi shyly asked as Saratoga was busy jotting notes on several index cards.

"Yes Kat?"

"I don't think I can do this." Katsuragi said looking completely miserable.

"What do you mean Kat?" Saratoga asked gently.

"I was built bad... cheap. They only had destroyer turbines available for me. I can't make more than 32 knots!" She looked helplessly at Sara.

Unryu sighed. "Even if you were as fast as us, it wouldn't matter. Kas and Amagi and me should be good for 34 knots but Soryu, Hiryu, and Shokaku can make 34 and then some!"

"And even Kaga is faster than Shinano." Shinano added glumly.

Saratoga looked at them. They needed a win. "Girls, trust me. We're going to win this thing and I'm going to tell you how..." 


	10. Into The Wind

**Chapter 10: Into The Wind  
**  
Saratoga grinned as Sakawa came eagerly running up.

"Did you put those index cards on Kirishima's table like I asked you to?"

"Hai! You can count on Sakawa! Number one cruiser. Can Do!" The light cruiser replied cheerfully.

"Good! They ever let me out, I want you on my team! I'll insist on it!"

Sakawa beamed. "Yes!" She pumped an eager fist into the air.

Saratoga chuckled. "You've done your part. Now we'll do ours." She looked back at the rest of her team. "Everybody ready?"

They nodded with a determination that had been lacking the night before.

"Good. Just remember the plan. I don't just want to win a race, I want to beat them in their own minds. We have our assignments and targets. Let's get over to the line."

***  
Kaga looked at her partner with discomfort. "The wind blows uneasily."

Akagi agreed. "I feel as if we have sailed these dangerous tides before."

"Perhaps. But we are Dai-ichi Kido Butai. We are the finest of Japan steel. All we need for victory today is our strength and heart and our unconquerable warrior spirit." She looked uneasily at Carrier Divisions 2 and 5. "Admittedly we must rely upon the speed of others, but our spirit must not flag, lest by our poor example, they lose heart." She turned her gaze to the six carriers opposing them as they made their way to the line. They were all good ships. Even the American, but a swordsmith needed fire and hammer and tongs to shape such raw iron into a fine blade. Kaga intended they be humbled. That was necessary for them to be forged properly.

Kaga turned back to her partner, all worry banished from her visage.

"It is time. Let us go into battle."

***

"Mic check. Testing! Testing! One... Two... Welcome to the Yokosuka Naval District Carrier race! I; Kirishima, fourth of the Kongo class fast battleships, will be your announcer for today's competition between First and Third Strike Fleets!" Kirishima looked out at the many Kanmusu in attendance. Ryuho had pushed hard to get a large turn out and appeared to have succeeded. Many of them had strong opinions. The Kongo sisters were for the most part neutral in their opinions, but Kirishima knew that there were those among the battleships who dearly wanted to see First Strike Fleet humbled.

Others; like Fubuki, were fervent fans of Akagi and her team. They enthusiastically lined the courseway ready to call out their support for their champions.

Shimakaze just hoped the race wouldn't be boring.

Down near the starting line, Yamato walked over to Shinano.

Shinano bowed in respectful greeting. "Sister. Shinano is pleased to see you."

Yamato smiled. "I; Yamato, am pleased to see you as well sister."

"Shinano will bring our line honor."

"Shinano already has." Her sister replied.

Back in her tower, Kirishima continued her announcing.

"Introducing our competitors! Wearing Blue shorts, Third Strike Fleet! Their team: Flagship Amagi, Kasagi, Unryu, Katsuragi, The mighty Shinano and from America, Saratoga!"

A moderate amount of cheering went up at this.

"Wearing red shorts is First Strike Fleet! Akagi! Kaga! Soryu! Hiryu! Shokaku! And standing in for Zuikaku is Taiho!"

Very enthusiastic cheers went up.

"As we wait for the race to begin, I have been given several factoid cards regarding our competitors today." She paused a moment. "The first one is about Shinano. Shinano is the largest carrier participating here today. The third sister of the Yamato class and the largest carrier ever built until 1960 and the American Nuclear Carrier _Enterprise_! This is 23,000 tons more than Kaga."

Saratoga banished a grin from her face. Warfare was part psychology after all. Time to take to the start.

"Secretary Ship Nagato will signal the start of the race! Runners take your positions!"

Nagato looked over the contestants and raised her hand. Finally her hand dropped. The race was on. 


	11. What I Can

**Chapter 11: What I Can.  
**  
 _Alright girls. Let me tell you why we're going to win tomorrow._ Saratoga had told her team the previous night. _Listen up. We know First Strike Fleet is tough. They have lots of experience and they know everything in the book._ Sara smirked. _And that is the thing. They know what the books say about how fast we are. I know what the books say too, but I'm going to tell you those books don't match what I know about myself._

 _Kaga and the others are going into this by defining what we_ ** _can't_** _do. I know what I_ ** _can_** _do. To be fair, you girls never really got the chance to find that out for yourselves but I think it's more than they_ ** _think_** _. I'll tell you a secret. You know my book rated speed is 33.25 Knots, right?  
_  
The other girls nodded.

 _My sister Lexington made 34.5 knots on trials.  
_  
The other girls blinked in surprise.

 _That's right. A Lexington class is every bit as fast as Shokaku._ She let that sink in.

 _By the book I'm one of the slower carriers. I know what the numbers say, but until you get the chance to open up and find out for yourself, you don't really know what you can do. Your books aren't written yet. Only you can decide what goes in them. So you can take Kaga's word for it..._

 _or you can decide for yourself.  
_  
Shinano smiled as she remembered her assignment.

 _Shinano? Your target is Kaga._

 _But Sara chan? Shinano still may not be fast enough._

 _I'm not so sure, but for most of the race I don't care. I just want you to do two things: Set up a comfortable, steady pace behind Kaga, and just grin. I want you to grin like you're a wolf and Kaga is a rabbit. If she looks back at you, I want her to see that grin and the hunger in your eyes.  
_  
Shinano could do this.

Kaga got off the line with a respectable start. All the competitors had gotten off well. Saratoga had jumped out to an early lead. This was not unexpected as the American's turbo-electric drive was known to be quite responsive, but soon the American would drop back and things would proceed as Kaga knew they would. Yes, even now, Shokaku and the girls of Second Division were moving up as expected. Above them, Kirishima was continuing her commentary. Odd... that reference to both Shinano and Kaga. Instinctively, Kaga looked back. Instantly she regretted it...

Shinano saw it as Kaga looked back. The grin on her face widened. _There is an American saying, Kaga-san: Objects in mirror are closer than they appear!_


	12. Tactical Maneuvers

**Chapter 12: Tactical Maneuvers.  
**  
"And currently Soryu, Hiryu, and Shokaku are 1, 2, and 3 with Unryu, Amagi, and Kasagi following close behind! Saratoga is maintaining pace with them. I have no idea how long she can keep the pace! Behind her in 8th place is Taiho! Katsuragi close behind, and bringing up the rear are Akagi, Kaga, and Shinano!" Kirishima looked at the fact cards.

"Our next trivia is about Akagi! Akagi is; of course, beloved flagship of Dai-ichi Kido Butai. Her turn-ons include a date that can cook. Her turn-offs: Sneaky Dive Bomber pilots."

Ahead of Akagi ran Katsuragi. Though Taiho loomed in front of her, the armored carrier did not exist in Katsuragi's thoughts. _Kat, Akagi is all yours. Just get ahead of her and hold steady._

 _What about Taiho?_

 _Forget about her. We win this as a team. I've got Taiho taken care of. You just keep Akagi chasing behind you.  
_  
Katsuragi did not look behind her as she pushed ahead.

Up ahead, Saratoga settled in comfortably along side Taiho. Sara actually sympathized with Taiho. Circumstance happened to put her in someone else's quarrel. Besides, she reminded Sara just a bit of Lexington. A fine sister lost to a simple blunder. But sympathy was for later. Taiho could expect a frustrating race. Beyond her, the front half of the race.

"And Unryu is trying to push the pace. She's putting on some early speed. Soryu, Hiryu, and Shokaku are keeping pace and the lead. Unryu is dropping off." Kirishima reported. "Now _Kasagi_ is chasing after the leaders!"

 _Unryu, Kasagi, Amagi... You three are going to drive the lead. Each of you take turns pushing whoever is in front of you and then drop off and switch._ Saratoga personally would have preferred Zuikaku rather than her sister, because Zuikaku's reputation for brashness would have played well into Sara's strategy. Still, she expected that Shokaku would not synchronize well with Division Two's Cavaliers. Best to have those three pushing as hard as possible as long as possible.

"One of our competitors is the American carrier Saratoga. She was built in Camden New Jersey. Her turbines are capable of generating 180,000 ship horsepower. That is 20,000 horsepower greater than Zuikaku and 30,000 more than Our Yamato... We'll see if that power can translate to victory here."

 _You better believe it._ Saratoga thought to herself. The lead pack began to head uphill. _Now it gets interesting._


	13. To The Line

**Chapter 13: To The Line  
**  
"The uphill climb has begun. Shokaku is pulling away from the rest of the lead pack!" Kirishima announced. "And Saratoga is picking up speed, beginning to move up in the ranks. Shokaku needs to be careful! The downward slope may prove troublesome..."

Sara nodded. This was it, the climb up the hill followed by the sharp decline and then a clean shot to the finish.

Trailing somewhat behind, Kaga had to grudgingly give credit to her opponents. Admitting even that it was likely the American who had so thoroughly engineered their battle plan. Perhaps Kaga had been too proud? As she again glanced back at Shinano, she considered that it was not a simple "Touch of the armored gauntlet" as she had believed. These girls were confident and prepared... for this contest at any rate.

They started up the hill and Kaga noticed that Shinano was gaining ground on her.

 *******  
Up ahead, Shokaku had powered ahead of the pack, but now was having trouble reversing as her speed threatened to send her tumbling. Just behind her, Saratoga was making her move. She easily powered past the rest of the field and now unloaded another surprise: Her turbo electric drive was not only responsive, but allowed Saratoga to put her full power into reverse. Something that Shokaku simply could not match. And then just as quickly, back into full forward.

Saratoga smiled as overhead, Kirishima read off one last card: "USS Saratoga held the record as fastest of all American Carriers for over 30 years. She achieved an official rating of 34.99 knots on trials."

 _34.99 knots?_ The crowd looked stunned. Even Shimakaze thought that was respectable, especially for a carrier. Inwardly, Kaga and Shokaku groaned.

 _What was that cartoon again?_ Saratoga wondered fleetingly. _The one with the bird and the coyote? Too bad I missed them on first run! Oh yes!_

 _Meep Meep!  
_  
"And coming to the finish, it's Saratoga in first! Shokaku! Hiryu, Unryu, Amagi, Kasagi, Soryu, Taiho, Katsuragi, Akagi, Shinano and Kaga! Calculating the point totals, Dai-ichi Kido Butai has 36 points... Dai-san Kido Butai has... 42! Our winners! Third Strike Fleet!" Kirishima proclaimed.

The girls of Third Strike Fleet raised their arms in triumph. Then they lined up facing their opponents, saluted and bowed in respect.

It was a lesson the Boss would never want Saratoga to forget. _Lose with dignity, but win with dignity as well..._


	14. Field Trip

_"That was well done"._ Kaga had congratulated Third Strike Fleet. " _You all still have much to learn."_ She told them. " _But you just might prove yourselves as warriors yet."_ She looked Saratoga in the eye. _"Perhaps..."_ The proud carrier added with a twinkle in her eye and just the slightest smile.

So Sara and her team had just maybe earned a modicum of respect, but still she was more than a little troubled.

 _Why am I the only American Kanmusu? Why did they claim we had no Ship-Girl program? These girls are angry. If Uncle Sam was able to summon back just a part of the old fleet back, we could go on the offensive instead of just 'holding the line' but there hasn't been ANYTHING! These girls have had to slug it out trying to protect just about the entire Pacific and they're tired of it. I can't blame them, but the fleet is chewed to hell and back._

 _Our boys have paid in blood to give them time to get on their feet and now they're the ones who are doing the bleeding and no help in sight. Add in stupid, self serving politicians to stir the pot and old memories..._

 _Damn it! Even if friggin Montana herself sails in leading the whole damned fleet, it won't matter if we can't work together._

 _If there was only something. Some symbol to help them put the old war behind them... well, behind me too, but I'd like to think I've worked out most of my shit.  
_  
Sara absently glanced over at her copy of Potter's 'Nimitz'

 _Just maybe there is at that!  
_

All things considered, Ryuho and Nagato had been relatively easy for Saratoga to convince into authorizing this trip. Perhaps not so surprising as Ryuho had spent most of the war in a support capacity and Nagato was nothing if not pragmatic. She had authorized a group consisting of the majority of the carriers and her fast battleships. Perhaps had their destination been any further away, Nagato might not have been willing to send such a large group, but she agreed that this was something that needed to be brought home as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.

"Where are we?" Kasagi asked as the bus pulled up to the park gate.

Saratoga smiled. "Kas... on the other side of this gate sits the most famous warship ever to serve in the Japanese Navy..." 


	15. A Time For Every Purpose

**Chapter 15: A Time For Every Purpose**

Kongo; followed closely by her sisters, led the party to the statue of the great Admiral Heihachiro Togo which stood in front of the venerable battleship. In a number of ways, _Mikasa_ was their revered aunt. Like Kongo, she had been built in Britain for the Imperial Navy. She had fought impressive odds and had emerged triumphant as the Great Togo's flagship in his devastating victory at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905, sealing Japan's victory over Czarist Russia.

What the Kongo sisters and the others did not know is how _Mikasa_ had so nearly followed them all into death. Not in pitched battle, but neglected, exploited, and so nearly discarded as worthless scrap, denied by her homeland. This had been very disheartening for them to hear.

And yet, _Mikasa_ had survived, spared in all irony by the words and deeds of the man who had been most central to devastating the Imperial Navy. His mission had been to defeat them and humble them into the dust and he had. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz had met Togo in 1906. Fifty years later, the self-described pupil of Togo had at the behest of a handful of Japanese officers, written a magazine article urging the people of Japan to remember their proud naval heritage and save the historic warship. Nimitz himself had refused payment for the article and donated the 20,000 yen to the restoration fund. He had also been instrumental in securing replacement parts primarily from the Chilean Battleship _Almirante Latorre_.

On the grounds of Mikasa Park the girls also found a tree, dedicated in honor of the man who in war had done his duty to defeat them and in peace had reminded a nation of its pride and obligation to save the ship which represented most the finest qualities to which the Japanese Kanmusu aspired.

On this day for at least some of the Kanmusu of Yokosuka, the Great Pacific War ended. 


	16. New Kit

**Chapter 16: New Kit  
**  
Kanmusu are complicated individuals. Despite this, or maybe because of this, Saratoga found them relatively easy to deal with. Conversely, _faeries_ tend to be very simple, very straightforward, and VERY stubborn. This made them a massive headache at times.

Take Sara's efforts to school her teammates in the art of USN style Damage Control:

The girls had quickly come to understand how efficient DC had saved many American ships during the war. Unfortunately, teaching their _faeries_ was proving a bit harder. Case in point, the tiny bosun banging his head on Saratoga's desk after the latest training session.

"That bad huh?"

The fairy looked at her and sighed.

"Better than yesterday?"

The fairy reluctantly nodded.

"Keep at it Chief. You just might save their lives."

The Chief saluted and headed on his way.

Saratoga chuckled. Meantime Sakawa was pounding on the door. Unryu answered.

"Sakawa?" She asked as the cruiser awkwardly struggled with the rather large parcel in her arms.

"This came for Sara chan! Can you give me a hand? It's HEAVY!"

Unryu helped Sakawa carry it into the room.

"Sara chan! Package!"

Saratoga and the other girls gathered around curious.

"Oh! There's a letter on it!" Amagi noted.

"Let's open it up!" Unryu urged.

Sara took the envelope as Unryu tore the brown paper off the package leaving a metal lock box. The key was in the envelope.

 _Dear Sara:_

 _Thought you might find this useful. I included some special gear for you to try out._

 _Enjoy...  
_  
Sara opened the lock and lifted the lid. On one side was a towering stack of manuals. On the other, a new composite bow with her personal insignia of a rooster engraved on it. And the rest...

Saratoga was well acquainted with the Hellcats and Avengers and she noted with satisfaction, the SBD -6s. The F4U Corsairs were very distinctive and then... _That's an F8F! And is that... Those are TBUs!_ She stared at one last aircraft she wasn't familiar with. Under it was a note card: _AD-1 Skyraider. Enjoy!_

"Girls... Sara's got her toy box and she only has the BEST toys!"


End file.
